Buffalo Croquet Club ~ Wicket Awesome

Buffalo Croquet Club Invitational / Delaware Park

The game can trace its origins back, in some accounts, to the early 1600's. Others note its predecessor's origins in Ireland via Brittany circa 1100. The game we recognize today as croquet became wildly popular in 1860's England. A wild time, indeed, for this most civilized form of lawn billiards. Some speculate that croquet may be the godfather of that other most civilized game Buffalonians hold so dear, hockey. That's a matter of debate, but there is no argument from out of town visitors to the Buffalo Croquet Club's Inaugural 6 Wicket Invitational, that the BCC

are excellent hosts. The lovely, fine grasses of the Delaware Park croquet field are hiding behind a hedge and wrought iron fence next to the Parkside Lodge. This observer noted many visiting players of the tournament,impressed with the well maintained lawn bowling fields and the Arts and Crafts lodge. The original lawns predate the lodge by two years, which were first played upon in 1912. What could be more stress relieving than this Victorian game played in our beautiful Olmsted Park?

What we once thought was a secret society playing on the bocce lawn under the lights at night, is really a bunch of very nice, fun loving folks looking for like minded ladies and gentlemen to join them. Interested players can Contact the Buffalo Croquet Club through the Olmsted Parks Conservancy site.

https://www.bfloparks.org/organizer/buffalo-croquet-club/

All that Jazz at the Colored Musician's Club

George Scott- President of the Colored Musician's Club

" She said;
'I do not understand
The words'. 

I said;
'There are
No words'.  "  - Langston Hughes

Words or no words, the Colored Musician's Jazz Festival bespeaks Buffalo' s rich jazz and musical legacy celebrating its 99th year. A staggering number of jazz musicians will grace the CMC inside and out on the street. On Broadway and the historic Michigan Avenue, people from all over will converge to listen to some brilliant musicians. As the president of The Colored Musician's Club George Scott will tell you,  it's (CMC) not just a museum but a thriving jazz center, keeping alive the tradition of open jam sessions on Sunday nights. Old timers and fresh students of the art doing what jazz does:  honoring the standards that teach and evolving in the improvisational synthesis of what one jazz lover referred to as "cerebral gymnastics". Celebrate one of America's great gifts to the world, our classical music. (Other jazz outings this weekend include the Pappy Martin- Masten Jazz Fest. and Jazz at the Albright Knox on Sunday.)

 A weekend like this gives people a chance to look at the often overlooked area referred to as the Michigan Avenue Corridor. Like so many areas of the city,  the history is profound. Michigan Avenue and Broadway are home to the site of the historic Michigan St. Baptist Church along with other buildings used in the Underground Railroad, as well as some of the oldest structures in Buffalo. This street should be a showcase street in the city all the way from Rosewell Park to the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Like our rich musical legacy, this once grand and ethnically diverse thoroughfare should be given its due and respect (Hello city leaders!). Let some of that Buffalo Billion flow right down the street from the medical corridor.

http://www.coloredmusiciansclub.org/
 http://www.michiganstreetbuffalo.org/#!historical-themes/c21kz

Thin Man

Balcony patio of Thin Man

Sun, umbrellas, 80 degrees. Staycation for these folks on the balcony at the freshly opened Thin Man Brewery on Elmwood Ave. Not one to let a great space go to waste, Mike Shatzel and company have reclaimed and  improved (balcony patio) this great spot on the strip, much to the delight of aficionados of draft beer and other fine libations. A great place to plot a weekend that has just too many options. For help with that, see Buffalo Vibe's link below. Enjoy.

 https://www.buffalovibe.com/

http://thinmanbrewery.com/

Connecticut Street Armory

Connecticut Street Armory 

The Connecticut Street Armory, also known as the 74th Regimental Headquarters of the National Guard. At its completion in 1899, it was the largest armory in the U.S. At over 280,00 square feet, the building takes up an entire city block. This turreted edificeis a captivating, if not imposing feature of this West Side neighborhood. One of nine Buffalo armories, this one is a stones throw from the Peace Bridge and our Neighbors to the North.

https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/armories/BuffaloConnecticutStreet.html

Caffe Society

Caffe Aroma - languid summer day 

We have a mission for you. Find a cafe, a bench, a blanket, someone's lap and sit yourself down. Take a moment to feel the sun upon your face, trade pleasantries with friends, watch a bead of condensation make its way down a cold glass, or just think. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is a Buffalo summer day. Because....Do you know what happens in six months? January. Shhhhhh.

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Boardwalk Life

Canalside Boardwalk 

A slice of boardwalk life on a Tuesday night. Not only a great place to catch the sunset and a cool drink, but the people behind us were also catching an outdoor movie on Canalside's Great Lawn. Flags were billowing along the wooden planks of the boardwalk, complimented by the ever changing artwork of the illuminated Connecting Terminal grain elevators. The Buffalo River flows by several decommissioned Naval vessels including the USS Little Rock, part of the Naval and Military Park at the other end of Canalside. Great to see this once desolate space teaming with all kinds of Buffalonians and visitors.

https://www.canalsidebuffalo.com/things-to-do/tuesday-night-flicks-2015-06-16/2015-06-16/

Erie Basin Marina

View from the Observation Tower-Erie Basin Marina 

Win/ win. A nice cardio workout up the stairs of the observation tower leads you to a lovely view of downtown, the waterfront condos, the Erie Basin Marina slip, and the lake with Canada beyond. The Marina is a great place to experience Buffalo's waterfront and find temperatures a few degrees cooler than the rest of the city. The Marina has views, boats, food and ice cream. It is also adjacent to the Naval Museum and Canalside, accessible by road and footpath.


http://www.eriebasinmarina.org/
http://www.buffaloplace.com/PopupLeaf/ErieBasin/122

Lighthouse

Buffalo Main Light  

"...there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one." - Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse. The warning pyre that has steered ships away from disaster or to seek safe harbor has become an archetype of psychological and literary import. Our beacon is no less significant, indeed, being the very image we use on our city emblem. Lit in 1833 on the spot that had been a warning fire since 1818, the Buffalo Lighthouse promises to keep the fires burning. The deactivated lighthouse (1914) is a 60 foot octagonal historically registered site returned to public access in 2010. It is now part of a museum located at The U.S. Coast GuardStation.

http://www.us-lighthouses.com/displaypage.php?LightID=95
http://live.buffalonews.com/2016/07/10/120000-upgrade-brings-historically-acccurate-lens-buffalo-lighthouse/

90 Degrees and counting

Gone fish'n 

We're not going to pretend. We did not shoot a new photo today. We went to the beach. It was hot. 90 degrees and counting.

Of Ice Cream and Pokémon

 Another Ice Cream Dude, Pokémon and art

Pokémon Go? 'Nuf said. (Very apparently the Albright Knox is a Pokéstop). But people cannot stop talking about the Ice Ceamcycle ice cream vendors and their Pay it Forward idea. It's all over the news; good news for a change. From our local publications and sites, to the Huffington Post and ABC News, the story of James Karagiannis, a.k.a. "James the Ice Cream Cycle Dude" and his community campaign is a hot story (no pun intended) this week. Karagiannis' idea was  to give kids who don't have extra money, a free ice cream if they will write a thank you note to send to a donor. Simple, special and true to the rep. of the City of Good Neighbors. Check out the links below for more on the story and information on donating at The Ice Cream Dude's website.

http://www.icecreamdude.com
http://abcnews.go.com/US/city-kids-free-ice-cream-pay-forward-campaign/story?id=40664124

Radial symmetry

Reddy Bikes- Delaware Park at Nottingham

It was all over the news today. Buffalo has a bikeshare! And that got me thinking of other cities that have a bike share. They're blue Citibikes in New York. And that got me wondering if Buffalo was at all modeled after New York City during our first surge, as Buffalo grew into the 2nd most populous city alongside NYC. But, actually, and serendipitously, the plans for Buffalo were made to resemble those of the radial plan by L'Enfant for Washington, the nation's new capital. Buffalo is only one of three American cities that have a radial street pattern like the shape of bicycle spokes. The plan, created by Joseph Ellicott in 1804, the local Holland Land Company agent, was inspired when he helped his brother Andrew survey the plans for the new capital, to be known as Washington, D.C. Ellicott brought the radial design to the plan for Buffalo, then known as the village of New Amsterdam. 

But back to bikes! The new Reddy Bikeshare program was celebrated this morning, and several sites are ready for sharing. Not only does this add a real, big-city air to the Queen City, it promotes a well-being for us all, and a way to see more of Buffalo. The links below offer more information on locations and prices. Let's roll! 

https://reddybikeshare.socialbicycles.com/

http://live.buffalonews.com/2016/07/20/wont-buy-bike-travel-buffalo-new-sharing-program/

A Venture in Burgers and Brew

ABV

If 82 degrees wasn't warm enough for you today you could have headed indoors to sample one to twenty-four of local and international selections of draft at Allen Burger Venture. Taps are adorned with wrought iron sculpture and found objects. To compliment the draft, or visa versa, are some of the most über burgers in the city. Owner Mike Shatzel (Coles, Liberty Hound,Thin Man) has always been passionate about well crafted beer even before it became popular again. Enjoy the "classic rock", as in 80's punk rock in a coolly, rustic vibe nurtured by manager Johnny Chow. Before Prohibition brewing was one of Buffalo's biggest industries.

After Prohibition, big breweries stifled the return of local entities and by the 70's, there were only a couple left. Local draft artisans have brought about a rebirth of production in Buffalo, mirroring the nation's appreciation of quality gourmet drafts and Buffalo's brewing history. 

http://allenburgerventure.com/

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-buffalo-breweries-craft-beer

Then and Now

Grain League Federation elevator and silos in decline on Buffalo River/ Library of Congress

Spruced up silos/ dock at Tewksbury Lodge/ RiverWorks

Still down by the river. We found this photo of the GLF Silos off Granson Street taken somewhere between glory days and complete neglect. From Riverfest Park, you can see a Buffalo River reborn, in use and enjoyed. The effects on the Old First Ward are undeniably good. People that have never seen this side of Buffalo and those that haven't been back in years are down here and active. The spirit of people who never gave up in the old neighborhood and those that believed in the value of history preserved, will hopefully continue to spur on revitalizations around the city.

The River

Kayak Launch - RiverWorks

We're back where we started a month ago. This time we are on the other side of the Buffalo River at RiverWorks. The sprawling facility next to the grain elevators found groups of people enjoying another spectacular summer night listening to live music overlooking the river, kids playing lacrosse, and kayaks lined up waiting for their chance to hit the water. We've learned a lot these four weeks and hope it has encouraged some of you to explore  the city and capture some images to share. Thanks for checking us out. All photos are original and shot exclusively on iPhone 6.

http://buffaloriverworks.com/

Sunday Sanctuary

A View of the Japanese Garden - Mirror Lake

The sole occupant of the string of tiny islands in Mirror Lake is a white crane. The scene could be that of  a Buddhist meditative sanctuary, but it is just off the Scajaquada Expressway and Elmwood Avenue. Tucked in behind the Historical Society and Nottingham Terrace, you will find the Japanese Garden, quiet, understated and tranquil as it was intended to be. The walkway that passes through the garden, shadows the creek taking you from the lake at Delaware Park across the former Parkway, now the Scajaquada Expressway (Route 198 ), along Nottingham Terrace to the Garden, and all the way to Niagara Street. The garden is based on the design of a garden in our sister city of Kanazawa, Japan and installed by skilled Japanese artisans. The garden fits seamlessly into the Olmsted design, which itself was influenced by that country's nature-based architecture. The ancient quality of the garden does not belie its 1970s construction, and that is a good thing. In 2012 it was dedicated as an International Peace Garden commemorating our post War of 1812 peace, exemplified by the longest unprotected border in the world, that between the U.S. and Canada.

http://www.ipgf.org/gardens/go.asp?siteid=buffaloja1812
http://buffaloah.com/a/notting/25/jap/jap.html